title: The role of GABA in human motor learning.
abstract: GABA modification plays an important role in motor cortical plasticity. We therefore hypothesized that interindividual variation in the responsiveness of the GABA system to modification influences learning capacity in healthy adults. We assessed GABA responsiveness by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), an intervention known to decrease GABA. The magnitude of M1 GABA decrease induced by anodal tDCS correlated positively with both the degree of motor learning and the degree of fMRI signal change within the left M1 during learning. This study therefore suggests that the responsiveness of the GABAergic system to modification may be relevant to short-term motor learning behavior and learning-related brain activity.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB), Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. cstagg@fmrib.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Charlotte J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Stagg
authors.forename: Velicia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bachtiar
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Johansen-Berg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate